Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom“Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghostas well as we?” ( Acts x. 47 .)What then is the use of the water? This too I will tell you hereafter, when I reveal to you thehidden mystery. 669 There are also other points of mystical teaching connected with the matter, butfor the present I will mention to you one out of many. What is this one? In Baptism are fulfilledthe pledges of our covenant with God; 670 burial and death, resurrection and life; and these takeplace all at once. For when we immerse our heads in the water, the old man is buried as in a tombbelow, and wholly sunk forever; 671 then as we raise them again, the new man rises in its stead. 672As it is easy for us to dip and to lift our heads again, so it is easy for God to bury the old man, andto show forth the new. And this is done thrice, that you may learn that the power of the Father, theSon, and the Holy Ghost fulfilleth all this. To show that what we say is no conjecture, hear Paulsaying, “We are buried with Him by Baptism into death”: and again, “Our old man is crucifiedwith Him”: and again, “We have been planted together in the likeness of His death.” ( Rom. vi. 4,5, 6 .) And not only is Baptism called a “cross,” but the “cross” is called “Baptism.” “With theBaptism,” saith Christ, “that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized” ( Mark x. 39 ): and, “Ihave a Baptism to be baptized with” ( Luke xii. 50 ) (which ye know not); for as we easily dipand lift our heads again, so He also easily died and rose again when He willed or rather much moreeasily, though He tarried the three days for the dispensation of a certain mystery.[3.] Let us then who have been deemed worthy of such mysteries show forth a life worthy ofthe Gift, that is, a most excellent conversation; 673 and do ye who have not yet been deemed worthy,do all things that you may be so, that we may be one body, that we may be brethren. For as longas we are divided in this respect, though a man be father, or son, or brother, or aught else, he is notrue kinsman, as being cut off from that relationship which is from above. What advantageth it tobe bound by the ties of earthly family, if we are not joined by those of the spiritual? what profitsnearness of kin on earth, if we are to be strangers in heaven? For the Catechumen is a stranger tothe Faithful. He hath not the same Head, he hath not the same Father, he hath not the same City,nor Food, nor Raiment, nor Table, nor House, but all are different; all are on earth to the former,to the latter all are in heaven. One has Christ for his King; the other, sin and the devil; the food 674of one is Christ, of the other, that meat which decays and perishes; one has worms’ work for hisraiment, the other the Lord of angels; heaven is the city of one, earth of the other. Since then wehave nothing in common, in what, tell me, shall we hold communion? Did we remove the samepangs, 675 did we come forth from the same womb? This has nothing to do with that most perfectrelationship. Let us then give diligence that we may become citizens of the city which is above.How long do we tarry over the border, 676 when we ought to reclaim our ancient country? We riskno common danger; for if it should come to pass, (which God forbid!) that through the sudden669 [as it is allowed me from above] Morel.670θεῖα τελεῖται ἐν αὐτῷ σύμβολα . So in Euseb. Hist. Ecc . x. 3. Baptism is said to be σωτηρίου πάθους ἀπόῤῥητα σύμβολα. See also Rufinus. de Constant . 9. 9.671 Morel. “having been immersed below, is hidden wholly once for all.” [The whole passage is important for the patristicview of the mode of baptism.—P.S.]672πάλιν .673πολιτείαν .674 al. “the delight.”675 i.e. “were we twins.”676ὑ περορίας .137